Dear EPUAP members and partners,

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”, in honor of the 200^th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, known for pioneering modern nursing. This year belongs indeed to all nurses but also doctors and other medical and allied health professions who are putting themselves on the frontline to offer the best possible care to those in need. EPUAP stands by all healthcare workers during this crisis and would like to recognize and applaud the efforts made by healthcare professionals in all countries.

The EPUAP is monitoring the development of the corona virus/COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the healthcare systems and professionals in Europe and around the world. We will do our best to continue with all EPUAP activities as planned and we will keep you informed about any changes related to the EPUAP 2020 annual meeting. Considering the major disruption to life and work of clinicians and researchers worldwide, the abstract submission and early registration deadlines for the EPUAP Prague 2020 annual meeting will be postponed. Our priority remains the health and safety of our delegates, speakers, exhibitors and organizers. We remain committed to provide a scientific programme that will continue the education and knowledge exchange so necessary for healthcare professionals working with pressure ulcer prevention and treatment.

We understand that in the actual context, where in many cases there is a lack of resources especially in ICU units, preventing pressure ulcers might be a challenge. For this reason, we have created the COVID-19 and Pressure Ulcers Prevention Forum where clinicians can share their experiences and good practices, ask questions to EPUAP trustees and help each other in this difficult time. You can access the platform here: https://zurl.co/UQPF

Please keep in mind that our EPUAP trustees are also working in hospitals and other care facilities and we will do our best to answer your questions in the shortest possible time.

Keep safe and healthy! We are looking forward to seeing all our EPUAP family in the future!

Kind regards

Prof. dr. Dimitri Beeckman
Ghent University (Belgium) and Örebro University (Sweden)
President, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel